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July 5, 2013
[Editor's note:
What follows is a letter that Simon Black wrote from Egypt two years ago
after the last 'revolution'. The names have changed, but the story is the
same.]
Originally
published September 7, 2011 from Cairo, Egypt
Revolution. It's a
funny word when you think about it. In political terms, 'revolution'
conjures images of heroes battling tyrants, of all-out forcible
insurrection in the name of freedom and change.
From a celestial
perspective, however, 'revolution' denotes one complete orbit of a
planetary body around its center, as in the earth's revolution around the
sun. In other words, after a revolution, you end up right back where you
started.
Same word, two
completely different meanings-- on one hand you have change, and on the
other you have more of the same. This is exactly what has happened after
Egypt's revolution this year.
Sure, Hosni Mubarak
is now standing trial after 3-decades of looting and pillaging his
country's wealth. For most Egyptians, this is viewed as a major victory;
there is a feeling of intense optimism here on the streets of Cairo, and
even though nothing is fundamentally different, expectations are high.
Mubarak was a symbol
of tyranny, and a great deal of blood was shed to topple his regime.
Unfortunately, Egyptians have essentially replaced one form of dictatorship
with another.
There is now one
person in charge of Egypt-- military Supreme Commander Mohamed Hussein
Tantawi. Tantawi was Mubarak's Minister of Defense, and as the man in
charge of roughly one million soldiers, sailors, and airmen in a country
with no political system, Tantawi has absolute authority.
He's not shy about
using it either. Just ask any of the thousands of Egyptians who have been
tried and sentenced by despotic military tribunals over the last several
months.
Many of these
'criminals' were bloggers like Maikel Nabil Sanad-- found guilty of
insulting the Egyptian military establishment. Sanad is currently serving
a three-year sentence after a rubber-stamp tribunal convicted him five
months ago. Several other bloggers and public figures have been jailed or
detained as well.
Despite all the song
and dance about freedom in Egypt, their revolution has brought them right
back to where they started-- an autocratic dictatorship.
When you think about
it, this is how things usually work out in politics. How many people have
campaigned on the 'change' platform, only to end up following the same
path as the last guy? As the saying goes, 'the more things change, the
more they stay the same.'
Egypt is due to hold
parliamentary elections in a few months' time. It's questionable whether
Tantawi will give up his supreme, unchecked power... but whatever
happens, one thing is clear: a new power elite will emerge in Egypt that
helps itself to wealth and privilege at the expense of everyone else.
This is the great
weakness in any political system: 'government' is based on the idea that
some individual or organization is awarded power than no human being
should possess-- the power to kill, to declare war, to steal, to defraud,
to counterfeit.
All of these powers
are considered immoral by man, but perfectly acceptable for government...
and no matter how much they dress it up as being good for the people, any
political system makes full use of its authority in order to maintain the
status quo and keep the ruling elite in power.
Egypt underscores an
important lesson from history: with rare exception, even when you topple
the ruling elite, someone else will simply step up to fill the void...
just as the French traded Louis XVI for Maximilien Robespierre's Reign of
Terror in the 1790s.
This is why
advocating for political change, while virtuous and noble in deed, is
ultimately a wasted effort. Power-hungry megalomaniacs and their
sycophantic yes-men will always rise to the top, conning the masses along
the way that 'change is coming'. It's all a big snow job.
Bottom line-
politicians are in it for their own benefit, not for yours. We only have
a finite amount of resources available-- time, money, and energy. It's
far better to allocate those resources to improving your own situation
rather than some politician's chances of reelection.
It's time to invest
in yourself-- build a pool of savings, develop alternate sources of
income, diversify internationally... and most of all, have a plan. You
don't want to be caught flat-footed when these sociopaths drive the bus
off the cliff.
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- A step-by-step
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or FBAR, which is due to the Treasury Department by
the end of the month.
- A shocking
interview with the original Survivor winner
who was dragged through courts and ended up spending more than four years in
prison for 'attempting to evade taxes'. Despite the
fact that he never actually received notification from the IRS that
he owed a dime.
- An extensive
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